Putin brushes off mobilization reports as 'absolute nonsense,' threatens mass strikes on Ukraine’s energy sector
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Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sept. 1 dismissed reports of a possible new wave of mobilization in Russia as "absolute nonsense," while saying he had ordered preparations for large-scale strikes against Ukraine's energy infrastructure.
Putin made the remarks during a press conference following the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Kyrgyzstan, where he was asked about reports that Moscow could announce another mobilization after upcoming State Duma elections.
"This is absolute nonsense. This is an information attack on Russia," Putin said, interrupting a journalist before the question was finished.
The remarks follow warnings from President Volodymyr Zelensky that the Kremlin could resort to another mobilization drive, with Zelensky recently saying Moscow intends to recruit around 300,000 personnel in 2026 and another 300,000 in 2027.
During the same press conference, Putin said he had instructed the Russian military to prepare "massive strikes" against Ukraine's energy facilities, portraying them as retaliation for Ukrainian attacks against Russian oil refineries and other infrastructure.
Putin claimed he had been briefed on Sept. 1 that a large number of Ukrainian drones attempted to penetrate air defenses around Moscow and St. Petersburg and strike three oil refineries.
"Keeping all this in mind... the armed forces of Russia have been instructed to prepare and launch massive strikes on Ukraine's energy facilities," Putin said. "They are hitting ours, they will get a response."
Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukraine's power grid and other civilian energy infrastructure since launching its full-scale invasion in 2022, with attacks intensifying during the colder months in an effort to disrupt electricity and heating.
The Russian Defense Ministry has also recently threatened further large-scale attacks against Ukraine's energy sector, similarly framing them as retaliation for Ukrainian strikes on Russia's fuel and energy infrastructure.
